


San Francisco, California

by pepsicola



Category: South Park
Genre: M/M, Used to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24191848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepsicola/pseuds/pepsicola
Summary: Even at the brink of summer, it was cold and windy. Not only that, but it was foggy no matter the time of day. The sky was suffocated gray with thick clouds. In every direction were people rushing by, in a hurry to go nowhere.
Relationships: Kenny McCormick/Leopold "Butters" Stotch
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Day One

Leo didn’t like San Francisco. Even at the brink of summer, it was cold and windy. Not only that, but it was foggy no matter the time of day. The sky was suffocated gray with thick clouds. In every direction were people rushing by, in a hurry to go nowhere.

And the city reminded Leo of another time—when he was ten years old, helping out a friend. He didn’t want to think about the black cord that led for miles into the city, the ferocious wind, the lightning in the air.

Back then, Leo never went into San Francisco, but he’d seen it from his spot afar. Now that he was up close in the city, to Leo, it still wasn’t anything special. It was just another cold, windy city that brought back too many memories he shouldn’t remember so vividly.

The sun had disappeared beneath the ocean two hours ago. Leo stood next to Kenny on Pier 39, leaning on the wooden railing over the shallow water. Ahead was the silhouette of Alcatraz, alone and foreboding.

They were supposed to be making their way back to their hotel, but Kenny wanted to stop to admire the old prison from afar. They were going on a tour there tomorrow.

Leo wanted to go back to Colorado, back to his own bed, back to where he was familiar with things. It was only Leo and Kenny on this two-day trip, and it was day one. Kenny was the one who wanted to fly to San Francisco. Leo couldn’t understand why, but he went along with it because it was Kenny, and Leo had never liked refusing him.

Leo sighed quietly so Kenny wouldn’t hear. He wouldn’t be able to over the wind anyway. Leo dug his nails into the soft wooden railing that lined the pier and stared into the black ocean churning below.

Kenny didn’t know that Leo had been to San Francisco when he was ten. He’d promised he would never tell, even ten years later.

Kenny’s hand was suddenly on top of Leo’s. When Leo looked up, Kenny was already looking down at him, smiling softly. The harsh wind blew through his hair, getting it in his violet eyes. Leo was about to return a hesitant smile, but then Kenny leaned down and kissed him. It was gentle and fleeting; it made Leo forget all about the cold and the wind and the gray.

Kenny pulled back, whispering, “Let’s go.”

He didn’t release Leo’s hand as they pulled away from the wooden railing and onto the bustling sidewalk.

Leo’s lips buzzed with the memory of Kenny’s kiss. He and Kenny had kissed before, sure, but this one was different. He couldn’t figure out why.

Walking back to the hotel had Leo feeling uneasy and upset. The streets were littered with trash. The buildings along the sidewalks were graffitied. Against the walls were piles of blankets and tarp where beneath, the homeless slept. The air was choked with the lingering smell of cigarettes that never really went away. In the distance was the sound of honking and police sirens. The big city was nothing like what Leo was used to.

As if sensing his discomfort, Kenny squeezed his hand. Leo looked up from watching the dirty sidewalk passing under his shoes. Kenny’s eyes were soft with reassurance. As time had worn on and as they’d grown older, the edge to Kenny’s demeanor had faded.

The corner of Leo’s lips lifted in a smile. He couldn’t help it. Kenny’s smile made Leo smile. He was the whole reason he smiled.

Their hotel was probably the nicest hotel Leo had ever stayed in. Everything was so modern, from the bar to the couches in the lounge area to the odd-shaped chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The price to the hotel had been shockingly low, and Kenny took the offer in a heartbeat.

They stepped into the elevator and took it up to their floor.

They entered through Kenny’s room. Aside from Kenny’s luggage sitting on the seat by the bed, the room looked just as it did when they first arrived yesterday. The door that connected Kenny’s and Leo’s rooms was propped open.

Their adjoining rooms were similar—modern and minimalistic like the rest of the hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked an empty parking lot.

Leo frowned as he stared through the glass. San Fransico had no pretty sights. These windows were a waste if all that was beyond them was the drab city.

When they first arrived, Leo had been quietly surprised to see they had their own rooms, but the reason behind it slowly began to dawn on him. His and Kenny’s relationship was only ten days old and still fragile. He assumed Kenny was playing it safe by getting separate rooms.

Leo didn’t go into his room. He sat on the edge of Kenny’s bed and began unlacing his shoes. Kenny went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

With the bathroom door closed, Leo let out a sigh. He shrugged off his jacket. His mind wouldn’t let go of the kiss. His lips were still tingling, and he was still in awe. Was it really so special? Leo had been kissed many times before—by Kenny and by someone of the past. He’d been kissed far more secretly, slowly, possessively. By Kenny, he’d been kissed shyly, chastely, softly. The kiss on the pier was so inferior compared to the others. Why was it so special?

The question echoed through his head as he gathered his jacket and his shoes. He walked through the propped door into his room. He put his things in the closet. He took his pajamas from his bag and brought them into the bathroom with him. The door was a sliding one, and on the sides were spaces where if he peeked through, he could see his empty room. The door didn’t have a lock, but he wasn’t worried about Kenny barging in on his shower.

When he stepped out of the bathroom dressed and running his towel through his hair, he could hear the TV in Kenny’s room murmuring as a movie played on.

Leo dropped the towel at the foot of his bed. He crept over to the adjoining door, remaining in the doorway. Kenny was watching some show about Vikings. Leo stood there for a while, watching the show too. Then Kenny looked up at him, sensing his presence.

“Come watch with me,” he said. His voice was just above a whisper.

At first, Leo hesitated. He was holding the door frame with his left hand, and his nails dug into it. He stared into Kenny’s eyes, holding his breath. And how could he breathe, with Kenny’s eyes staring so deeply into his. Staring into him like he was his world. Like he was all that mattered.

His feet acted on their own as he drifted to Kenny’s bedside.

In the door frame unnoticed were half-moon indentations in the white paint.

Kenny scooted over to make room for him. Leo crawled beneath the blankets. Some of the mattress he was laying on was warm from Kenny being there.

They watched the television in silence. Kenny had his arm tucked over his head. The reflection of the screen played in his eyes.

Leo didn’t realize he was watching Kenny and not the show until Kenny met his eyes. He smiled warmly. It lit up the violet of his irises.

“You’ve been quiet,” he observed. “You’ve probably said less than forty words in total today.”

When Leo stayed silent, continuing to search the depths of Kenny’s eyes, Kenny’s eyebrows pressed together and he sat up straighter.

“Is something wrong?” The concern weighed in his voice brought Leo a sense of longing, but he didn’t know what he was longing for.

Kenny touched Leo’s cheek so lightly he wouldn’t have felt it if he wasn’t watching it happen. Leo let out a sigh. He couldn’t tell if it was sad, content, or plainly exhaling the air trapped in his lungs.

He glanced at the alarm clock on Kenny’s nightstand. It was midnight. Usually, when Leo was in Kenny’s room, he left before then. It was a boundary they had set long ago. They had been friends most of their life, and crossing the invisible boundary would be monumental.

Leo should probably go back to his room and let Kenny sleep. He could tell he was tired. There were bags under his eyes and his movements were sluggish. Their flight departed at four in the morning, and they arrived at six a.m., pacific standard time. The one hour difference in the change of time wasn’t much then, but now it was taking its toll.

Leo thought,  _ I should let him sleep. _

_ But I wanna stay,  _ he argued defiantly.

Kenny’s thumb began caressing Leo’s cheek. Worry continued to grow on his freckled face.

Leo finally leaned into the touch, closing his eyes.  _ No. I think I  _ will  _ stay. _

He would be monumental. For once, he would stay, even if it was a strange feeling not leaving Kenny at this hour. 

He let out a single, sleepy giggle. “Kenny,” he whispered. The way he said his name, it sounded different. He’d never said it like that before—so hushed and breathless.

Kenny heard the difference; Leo could see the way it melted the worry off his face and into another easy smile. His hand fell from Leo’s cheek, finding his fingers. He held their joined hands to his chest, closed the gap between them, and kissed Leo the way he did on the pier.

Leo realized at that moment that this is what he’d been longing for: the brush of Kenny’s fingertips and his fleeting kisses.

It would take some time getting used to, but he’d get there eventually. For now, he was satisfied with sharing Kenny’s hotel bed while he traced his fingers over Kenny’s tattoos, trying to memorize every inch of skin.


	2. Day Two

Kenny and Leo walked into their hotel lobby, having just returned from their Alcatraz tour. They were talking, but they got quiet when they entered.

“Why don’t we hang around here before going up to our room?” Kenny offered. The hotel lobby was really cool, and he could see a bar in the back. He glanced at Leo, grinning. “I think I need a drink.”

Leo chuckled and rolled his pretty blue eyes. “Fine. It’s five anyway,” he said after checking the time on his phone.

Kenny felt himself grin wider as he dragged Leo to the bar.

It was empty, so they took the center two stools. Kenny asked for a Manhattan. Leo, who was less familiar with alcohol, ordered the only other alcoholic drink he’s ever had: tequila.

The bartender didn’t ask them for IDs. Even with Leo, who still looked eighteen, he didn’t require an ID check. Kenny wondered if the bartender didn’t care, or was just letting them slip by. Kenny was glad, too, since he and Leo were one year short of being legal drinkers.

Kenny didn’t like tequila. He didn’t really know why. It wasn’t like he hated the way it tasted or went down. He just didn’t like it.

But now, sitting with Leo at the hotel bar watching him throw back his first shot of Patrón, he wondered if tequila was really so bad.

Kenny gestured for the bartender. He came over right away.

“Could I get what he has?” Kenny asked.

The bartender nodded and went to fetch Kenny’s drink.

Leo turned to Kenny with a crease between his eyebrows. “I thought you didn’t like tequila?” he said.

Since high school, Kenny’s smirk had softened so much that now it looked like a lopsided smile. A smile that was identical to his genuine one. “Maybe I changed my mind.”

The bartender placed Kenny’s shot in front of him right as Leo giggled.

Jerking his chin at Leo’s shot glass, the bartender asked him, “Want another?”

Leo nodded.

When his glass was refilled, he lifted it up. Kenny did the same. Their glasses clinked in a quiet toast. They threw back the tequila.

Kenny swallowed it, wincing once it went down. The taste and the sting were just as he remembered. But oddly, he wanted another.

The bartender kept them coming.

After five shots, time blended into one being, and Kenny lost track of it. He talked to Leo, but later he wouldn’t be able to remember what about. They laughed and joked. Kenny might have said something about the seals at Pier 39. Or maybe he said something about Alcatraz and the picture they took from behind the bars of a vacant cell.

In response, Leo laughed, wrinkling his nose at Kenny.

Kenny’s heart leaped. He loved it when he did that. It kept him talking, saying things about Ripley’s Believe It or Not and the strange things inside. He laughed about how Leo didn’t want to go into the Dungeon because it looked too scary from the outside, but the price to get into Madame Tussauds was too expensive so they fit for seeing the stores and other attractions from the outside only.

And then he said something that made Leo gaze at him with sudden clarity in his eyes. He put his hand on Kenny’s cheek. Kenny couldn’t remember what he’d said.

“I had a real fun time today,” Leo murmured. His thumb moved up and down on Kenny’s cheek.

Not once that night did Kenny have a cohesive thought except one:  _ Leo still has his calluses. _

In the back of his mind, he recalled being in high school and thinking about the way the calluses on Leo’s palms felt in his hands. He didn’t know where the memory was from. He never found out why he remembered the calluses, but he always found himself wondering if Leo still had them.

He did.

Something in Kenny clicked. Whatever hazy drunkenness that had been hanging over him disappeared. His gaze sharpened on Leo in front of him.

He was still smiling fondly, his thumb still caressing. Kenny had never noticed before that Leo’s bottom lip was fuller than his top lip. His scar was faded and ran from his cheekbone to right below his eyebrow. His sky blue eyes were big and hopeful. His nose was small. Kenny had seen Leo’s face a million times before, but staring at it now, he was seeing him with new eyes. For the first time, he appreciated Leo’s delicate features.

And maybe before he wasn’t able to see him this way because he wasn’t looking. Because back then Leo was just a friend. A friend who was dating a friend. And Kenny was taken too. He was in love. But he was in love now. He knew that much.

He couldn’t believe how much of that had changed in such a small amount of time.

Leo closed the gap between them. The kiss was soft. They never used to be able to do this as just friends.

Leo broke away. There was a new crease between his eyebrows, but it was accompanied by a pout. Hand slipping from Kenny’s cheek, he whined, “I’m tired, Ken.”

Kenny laughed, placing his hand on Leo’s lower back. “All right. Let’s go back to the room.”

Unsure if the drinks would be later added onto their bill, Kenny paid the bartender. Then he helped Leo to his feet. They stumbled to the elevator. Kenny pressed the button labeled 6.

The elevator doors closed and lifted off the ground.

Leo’s eyes were drooping like he was falling asleep right there on Kenny’s shoulder. Kenny kissed his forehead. When Leo looked up at him with foggy blue eyes and a sleepy smile, Kenny knew he had at least thirty minutes before he went out like a light.

On floor 6 in front of their doors, Kenny fished for the key card somewhere in the pockets of his jeans. He didn’t know where Leo’s key to his room was. Kenny wondered if he even brought it with him at all.

The door unlocked and Kenny shouldered it open. He readjusted his hold on Leo and took him into his own room. Carefully, he laid Leo on the bed.

Leo blinked up at Kenny wearily. That fond smile returned to his face. His hand rose up and landed once again on Kenny’s cheek. Kenny latched onto Leo’s wrist. Staring down at him, he felt something in his chest he couldn’t pinpoint. He’d felt it before, usually in circumstances exactly like this. He and Leo saying no words, eyes locked, a small point of contact being shared between them.

Kenny hypothesized that the feeling originated from being hit with the reality that Leo wasn’t his friend anymore—not really.

Kenny used to think he knew everything about Leo. They’d been friends forever.

Now that they were dating, Kenny discovered he didn’t know  _ everything  _ about Leo. He’d never been kissed by him in the early morning. He’d never curled his fingers around Leo’s as they walked down the sidewalk. He’d never been gazed at so lovingly by him. Not as a friend.

But because of their newfound closeness, he finally knew Leo better. Because now, he’d been kissed, had his hand held, been gazed at.

And his heart was pounding because of it.

He could tell Leo wanted to say something. His lips were parted, his jaw fixed around the formation of a word.

“Can’t you stay?” Leo whispered. His eyes flicked to the empty space next to him, then back up to Kenny. “Just for tonight?”

Kenny could feel his heartbeat in his fingertips and he could hear it in his ears. Leo had never asked him to stay—not aloud. He’d grabbed Kenny’s wrist as he was walking out. He’d latched onto him while Kenny was in his bed. But he’d never said it.

Kenny swallowed around the dryness of his throat. His head jerked before he could properly nod. “Sure,” he said.

Leo wouldn’t let go of his wrist, so he crawled over his body to lay beside him. Instantly, Leo turned to him and curled up against his chest. He sighed deeply, nuzzling his nose against Kenny’s. Kenny loved it when he did that too. It made his breath catch.

So this is what it was like. To share a bed with Leo and have him close enough to feel the pattern of his breathing.

Kenny wasn’t used to it.

He was stiff as he tried to lay completely still so Leo wouldn’t be disturbed as he fell asleep. Leo still had his wrist in his grip, but he didn’t want to move away. He liked Leo touching him like this.

Kenny wasn’t used to it, but he was looking forward to this becoming normal. Routine. Ordinary.

By the time Kenny was sure Leo was asleep, he found a comfortable position, facing Leo. Leo’s eyelids were moving. The corners of his lips twitched and he let out a breathless laugh.

Kenny knew he was sleeping. He didn’t react when Kenny put his lips to the bridge of his nose.

_ Definitely,  _ Kenny thought, smiling as he closed his eyes,  _ I could definitely get used to this. _


	3. Final Day

On the flight back home to Colorado, Leo and Kenny’s hands were joined over the armrest. It felt good to know this point of touch wasn’t something he’d have to hide. Not ever.

Leo was at the window seat, and he had it covered. It was nine at night and he wanted to sleep, but as soon as he’d put his head back and closed his eyes, he found that he couldn’t. So he decided to lift the cover. He stared down through a part in the clouds.

When they were flying to San Francisco, Leo had the middle seat, and Kenny had the window. He kept it open for the whole flight. His eyes had been glued to it most of the time. And when they had approached the city, Kenny had tried to get Leo to look, but Leo refused to look away from his laptop. At the time, he didn’t want to see the city and give away how he felt about it. He didn’t want to disappoint Kenny.

But now that Leo was peering down at the city below, he noticed how small it seemed against the dark ocean. Buildings looked the size of a pencil. Cars and other vehicles were toys. Above all, it was beautiful. The sky was deep blue. The city was gold because of the lights emanating from all the buildings. From this high up, the city looked like stars against a night sky.

It was breathtaking.

Leo was relieved to be out of San Francisco but, at the same time, he was upset to be leaving. When he and Kenny landed three days ago, he dreaded the city. He was only looking forward to the trip back home.

Then that kiss happened, and it changed everything. Once Kenny had pulled back, it was like Leo was suddenly seeing everything in color. The city had been gray, but after Kenny kissed him, he saw the vibrancy of all the bright colors, especially as they stood on Pier 39.

If only it hadn’t taken Leo the flight back home to realize the beauty of San Francisco. He wished he could have appreciated it more while he’d been standing on those streets with the buildings towering above him.

He turned to Kenny. He was watching a show on his phone, but when he felt Leo’s eyes on him, he looked up and pulled out an earbud.

“Y’know,” Leo said, glancing down at their hands, then back up to Kenny’s eyes, “I never used to like San Francisco.”

Kenny’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve never had us take a trip there if I’d known—”

_ “Kenny,”  _ Leo said, smiling through the force in his voice. “Let me finish. I never _ used  _ to like San Francisco. I always saw it as windy and foggy and gray and dirty. I thought the only sound was of police sirens and honkin’ and dogs barkin’ in the distance. But…” He rubbed his thumb over the back of Kenny’s hand. “That all changed for me when you kissed me on the pier.”

Realization flooded Kenny’s eyes. His tense shoulders dropped. “Oh,” he said.

Leo giggled. “Yeah.  _ Oh. _ The way I saw that place before wasn’t in a good light. But now, it’s not just some crowded city anymore. It’s a city of color and beauty. And it’s all ‘cause of you.” Leo took a deep breath and beamed at Kenny. “I think that really, if you took me anyplace I’d like it.”

Kenny smiled back. “I’m glad you had fun. All I wanted for you was to be happy. Especially because of how down you had been. I thought a trip out of Colorado would be good for you. So it’s nice to see you smile again. It’s nice to see you happy again.”

Leo nudged his nose against Kenny’s. “I’ll be happy as long as I got you.”

Kenny’s hand was on the back of Leo’s neck. He used the touch to bring their lips together. Kenny opened his mouth against Leo’s. He reciprocated, and he whispered, “I could definitely get used to this.”

Kenny smiled against their lips. “It’s funny you say that. I was thinking the same exact thing not too long ago.”


End file.
